Nut-lock.



P. CLAY.

NUT LOCK.

AP PLIOATION FILED MAY 23, 1907. 922,261 I. v Patented May 18, 1909.

': sums-sum 1.

7 J WITNESSES.- [NI LZYTOR P. CLAY.

NUT LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1907.

Patented May 18, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H mm numeral 3 the key.

tnnrnn srarnsgrgrnnr cri ics.

PERCY CLAY, or GIBSON, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF .To EDWARD watonrfor GIBSON, LOUISIANA.

, NUT-LOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1909.

Application filed ma 23, 1907. Serial No. 375,319.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, PERCY CLAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gibson, in the parish of Terrebonne, State of Louisiana,- have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nut-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the, invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and-use the same.

.This invention relates to: new and useful improvements in nut locks,'and it has particular reference toa nut lock which includes assist in retaining the nutsin position and prevent the entire removal thereof.

The details of the invention will appear in the course of the following description in which reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, like characters of reference designating,

similar parts throughout the several views, where1nz- I Fu ure 1 is an elevation showlng' the nutv lock in its application to a rail joint of conventional form. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the nut. lock. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the bolt showing the longitudinal recesses which are provided at opposite sides thereof, and which at their inner ends are formed with deepv extensions. Fig. 4 is adetail view of the lockingvkey. F is a longitudinal section on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring specifically to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates generally the bolt, the numeral 2, the nut, and the The bolt 1 is constructed at opposite sides thereof with longitudinal grooves 4 extending from the end of said bolt and terminating within the body thereof in recesses'fi. The grooves 4 at their outer ends are constructed with concaved cam faces 6 for a purpose which will hereinafter appeaia. The nut 2 is constructed at equidistant intervals with four longitudinal grooves 7, but it will be obviousthat this number of grooves is purely arbitrary and may be varied at option. The grooves 7 extend from one of the inner faces of said nut to a point within'the body portion thereof bore.

"The key 3 comprises resilient section of metalbent into U-shape to form legs 8' ter-' minating in inwardly directed fingers 9.

The legs 8 are connected-by a bow shaped 1 portion 10 which is flattened to augment the natural resiliency of the key. It is to be noted that the depth. of the groove. in the nut, together with the depth of the groove in the bolt, is greater thanthe thickness'of' the legs 8.

The keyis applied as follows :The legs 8 are placed in the grooves 4 with the 'fmgers andcommunicate with the central threaded I 9 extending in the recesses 5. The legs are then pressed toward each other so that-they will lie entirelywithin-the grooves and withoutprojecting therefrom laterally. It will be notdd in Fig. 5 of the'drawings, that the depth ofthe grooves 4 and the recesses 5 is such that the legs may, be positioned therein as stated. The out is now slipped over the key and screwed on the bolt, the legs being still held in the grooves 4. When the nut is screwed onthe bolt. the desired distance, and one of the pair of grooves 7 register with the grooves 4, the legs arevreleased, Whereupon they spring into said grooves '4" and thereby lock the nut on the bolt. In this position, the key' cannot be removed until the nut is screwed off the bolt, and this can not be done until the key is again compressed v to bring the legs 8 into the grooves 4: as before, because the longitudinal dimension of the groove 7 plusthe longitudinal dimensionof the groove 4 is less than the length of the fingers 9, aswill'be perfectly obvious I from an inspection ofFig. 5. It will therefore be seen that the lock can readily be applied and removed, but cannot be accidentally or maliciously disengaged, and it therefore most effectually serves the purpose for which it is designed. It is further to be noted that when the lock is in the position indicated in Fig. 5 or when the nut is screwed farther on the bolt, if the threads strip ortend to strip, the portions 9 of the lock will engage the bottoms ofthe grooves the recesses, said fingers being of greater 7 and prevent the entire disengagement of the nut from the bolt.

Having thus described the invention, what 1 is claimed as new, is

The combination with a bolt having opposite longitudinal grooves terminating in recesses, and a nut havin in the wall of its bore a plurality of longitudinal grooves, of a locking key comprising a pair of resilient le s adapted to enter the aforesaid grooves wfien they register, and havin inwardly directed terminal fingers adap to seat in length than the longitudinal dimension of the grooves of the nuts plus the longitudinal dimension of the grooves of the bolt, and the combined depth of the groove in the nut together with the groove in the bolt being greater than the t ickness of said legs.

In testimony whereof, I afi'ix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

PERCY CLAY. Witnesses: SAMUEL HARVEY, Gnome PATTERSON. 

